The First Year
by ticktickticktock
Summary: Kurt and Blaine have just had a daughter and are now ready for fatherhood. Follow them through the first year of their little girl's life as they experience what being a parent is all about. Sequel to This Feeling. Mentions of past Mpreg.
1. Chapter 1

**Well, here it is, as promised: the sequel to_ This Feeling_. If you haven't read _This Feeling,_ you might want to before continuing with this story. There will be things that will reference the other story in this one and you may get confused... but, really, do whatever you like. :) Just know that this story contains mentions of past mpreg. **

**Anyways, I'm quite excited to be writing this, as we'll be seeing a lot of baby Ava, and I'm super excited for you guys to read it! It will cover Ava's first year of life with all of her firsts: her first illness, her first babysitter, her first tooth, her first words, etc. **  
><strong>This chapter itself does not contain a "first," however, because it's just an intro. Oh well. I hope you guys enjoy it! Yay!<strong>

**I do not own Glee.**

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><p>Blaine Anderson-Hummel loved being a father. He loved snuggling his little girl, he loved rocking her to sleep, he loved cooing to her in a little baby voice; heck, he didn't even mind changing diapers. It just meant he got to do something with his daughter and he loved every second that he was with her. Of course, he also loved watching his husband interact with their little girl, too. The way he talked to her was precious and Blaine couldn't get enough of the way he looked at their daughter. It was just perfect.<p>

Sighing happily, Blaine moved to sit down on the couch, having just put Ava down for an afternoon nap. She seemed to be on a loose schedule now, so he figured that she would probably sleep for about an hour or two, which left him time to either rest or spend with Kurt.

He quickly decided that he wanted to spend it with Kurt who, sadly, was on his last day of paternity leave.

"I can't believe you go back to work tomorrow." He said to his husband, who was sitting on the other end of the couch.

Kurt quickly scooted over so that he was closer to Blaine and be let out a small sigh. "I know. I'm going to miss you and Ava so much." He murmured, snuggling into Blaine's arms. He knew that he really would, too. Having the last few weeks off of work had been heavenly and he'd absolutely loved his time with Blaine and their little girl; however, he knew that he needed to get back to his job because, well, it was a necessity. A necessity that brought them money, which was something that they definitely needed with a new baby in the house.

Blaine pressed a gentle kiss to the top of his head. "I think we'll miss you more. It'll be strange to be home alone with her all day long. I've only been by myself with her for like thirty minutes while you've run down to the quick mart to get some food and stuff, and she's been asleep during most of those trips. So this is going to be interesting."

"Yes," Kurt murmured softly in agreement, "it will be different and interesting for you. But I know you'll be fine. You're great with her and, thankfully, she's been on a pretty good nap schedule so you'll also have some down time for yourself. Aaaaannnd, I'm only a phone call away. So you can just ring me if you need something." He smiled slightly as he shifted so that he could see his husband and he quickly leaned in for a kiss. "It'll be fine."

The assurance from his husband made Blaine smile and he happily kissed back, simply enjoying this time with his husband. He knew with Kurt going back to work and classes full time again their schedules would be crazy, especially with a newborn in the house, so he was cherishing this.  
>"I'm still gonna miss you." He mumbled when he finally pulled away from kissing Kurt to take a deep breath. "I'll miss you bunches."<p>

"I'll miss you more." The countertenor said simply.

"No way! I'm going to miss you more, mister. So hush."

"No, you hush!_ I'll_ miss you-"

"No, _I'll_ miss _you_-"

"Really, Blaine, I know I'll miss you more."

"Really, _Kurt_, I know that _I_-"

Suddenly a whimper over the baby monitor caused both men to stop their playful argument and they listened, waiting to see of their little girl was going to make another sound. They quickly realized that, yes, she was, and that she apparently was wide awake from her short nap and ready for some attention. So much for her decent nap schedule, huh? Oh well.

"I'll go get her. I wanna spend as much time as I can with her before I go back to work." Kurt murmured as he reluctantly moved off of Blaine. He stretched and let his back pop, though he quickly turned towards the hallway when Ava cried again. "I'm coming, angel, I'm coming! Don't cry!" He called.

Chuckling, Blaine watched Kurt hurry down the hall and when he entered the nursery he could hear him cooing to Ava over the baby monitor. The sound made him smile and he closed how eyes, thinking of how incredibly thankful he was for such an amazing husband that was great with their daughter.

Life was good.

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><p><strong>Yeah, I know, it's short. But like I said, it's just an introductory chapter and we'll get to the good stuff starting with Ava's "firsts" in the next<strong>** one. :****)**

**Also, I'll be taking suggestions for what sort of "firsts" this story should cover, so if you have an idea you'd like to see, let me know and I may cover it. I want to make sure I include things that you all really want to see.**

**So... yeah! Thanks, guys!**


	2. Chapter 2

**I'm so glad you all seem excited about this story! Here's chapter two... Ava's first day home alone with Blaine. :)**

**Sadly, I do not own Glee.**

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><p>"I seriously do not want to go to work." Kurt groaned as he stood in front of the bathroom mirror, adjusting the black vest he had layered over his white button-up. After a moment he seemed satisfied and he glanced at his husband, who was perched on the edge of the tub, watching him get ready. "I'm going to miss you and Ava so much."<p>

"And we'll miss you." Blaine responded immediately, standing up to envelop Kurt in a hug. "But it'll be fine. You love your job... not to mention, you have to make some money, especially since I'm not working right now."

They had made the decision for Blaine to stay home with Ava for a while, until she was at least a few months old, before he went back to his classes and found a new job. That meant they definitely needed Kurt to work because the cost of living in New York while raising a baby wasn't cheap.

Sighing softly, Kurt leaned into Blaine's embrace for just a moment. But all too soon he was reluctantly pulling away, glancing at his watch with a mumbled, "I gotta go." This was accompanied by another sigh as he headed out of the bathroom and down the hall, but not before he paused outside the nursery. He had to say goodbye to his little girl, after all. "Good morning, princess." He said softly when he entered the room to see that Ava was awake and lying in her crib, blinking up at the mobile hanging above her. "Papa has to leave for work, so you be a good girl for Daddy. I love you." Gently, he leaned down to press a kiss to her little cheek.

Blaine leaned in the doorway a few feet away, smiling happily as he watched his husband and his daughter. "Kurt, honey," He said after a moment when the man was still standing at the crib, cooing at the baby, "you'll be late if you don't go now."

"Oh, I know." Kurt sighed dramatically, pressing one last kiss to Ava's cheek before turning to face his husband. The two then headed out to the living room together, with Kurt still whining about work. "I'm gonna miss you."

"I'll miss you more." Blaine said simply, smiling as he grabbed his husband's jacket from the coat hook it was hanging on. He watched him put it on before he leaned in for a kiss. "Text me when you can?"

Kurt nodded before he grabbed his messenger bag and slung it over his shoulder. "I will. Have fun with Ava today. Love you."

"Love you too."

With one more kiss, then men parted and headed towards the door, and with a little more coaxing from Blaine, Kurt finally left for work.

"Well." Blaine whispered as he closed the door after his husband and leaned against it for a moment, merely thinking. He then realized that Ava probably needed a diaper change since had just woken up and was most likely wet.

"Okay, baby girl," He murmured while making his way into the nursery. He headed to where Ava lay in the crib, still staring up at her mobile and sucking on a pink pacifier. "You need a diaper? Hmm?" He reached down and scooped the baby into his arms, smiling as she cooed with delight. "You're in a good mood this morning. Is is because you're spending the day with Daddy while Papa's at work? Is that it? I bet so." Still babbling and cooing to the baby, Blaine swiftly changed her into a dry diaper and dressed her in a cute footed outfit adorned with the words, "Daddy's Angel" across the chest before heading to the living room. Considering that Ava was in such a good mood, he figured he might put her in her baby swing while he cleaned a few things up. It was high time that the shelves got dusted and the floors vacuumed...  
>But he was also so tired. Having to get up multiple times a night to check on Ava was wearing him out, and a nap sounded really, really lovely right then. Sighing slightly, he but his lip and thought for a moment, figuring he might as well get some things done while he was already up and at em. There was a chance that he wouldn't want to get up again if he took a short nap right then.<p>

"Okay. All settled." He mumbled while buckling Ava into her baby swing. She squirmed slightly and let out a whimper, but Blaine gently shushed her and turned on the swing so it would rock. The movement apparently soothed the little girl, and with a smile Blaine went to go find the feather duster. He was going to be productive today while Kurt was gone. Twenty minutes later, however, he had to stop what he was doing when the baby began to wail.

"Oh, no, don't cry," Blaine whispered as he scooped her up out of the swing. "It's okay, Daddy's got you now." Still whispering in a hushed tone, he swayed slightly to calm the baby, and he realized that she was tired when she let out a yawn. "So you're a sleepy girl, huh? How about we rock and get that taken care of." He headed into the nursery then and to the rocking chair, where he sat down and cradled Ava close to put her to sleep. She absolutely loved to be rocked and it almost always had her out in just five minutes.

Today, though, that was not the case. Instead of snuggling into Blaine's arms and going to sleep like she always did, Ava wriggled and fussed for several minutes. Blaine tried everything he could think of to calm her, until he figured that she must be hungry. After all, it had been a few hours since her last bottle, and the little girl definitely liked to eat.

Humming in attempt to keep the baby calm, Blaine headed into the kitchen, where, with one hand, he quickly filled a plastic bottle with water. He then warmed the water in the microwave before pulling it out and adding the formula powder, which he shook up until it was dissolved. "Okay. Your bottle is all ready now, Miss Impatient." He said to the crying girl in his arms as he headed to the living room to feed her.  
>He settled on the couch with a sigh and then placed the bottle in Ava's mouth, something that she was clearly happy about. Her cries immediately subsided and she happily drank the milk she was offered. Soon enough she was finished and he placed her up on his shoulder to gently burp her; however, the little girl seemed insistent that she didn't want to burp. She stubbornly rested against her father and closed her eyes, apparently now tired after drinking her bottle. "I guess it's nap time again." Blaine murmured and slowly stood up so he could go put Ava in her crib. Thankfully, she didn't fuss and simply closed her eyes, obviously ready for some sleep.<p>

Blaine quietly backed out of the nursery and then headed to the kitchen, realizing that he was now quite hungry himself. 'Ooh, one of these frozen lasagna things sounds good.' He thought as he pulled one from the freezer. He quickly checked the instructions before putting it in the oven as directed, figuring that he might as well go wait in the living room while the lasagna cooked. It was supposed to take about twenty minutes to bake and he saw no reason to wait around in the kitchen for it to finish cooking.  
>Sighing softly, Blaine flopped down on the couch and closed his eyes, simply enjoying this quiet time while Ava was still napping. He seemed to enjoy it a little too much, however, because he quickly dozed off and didn't wake up for about an hour- at which time the lasagna was severely burned and Ava was in her nursery, screaming at the top of her lungs.<p>

"What the?" He was blinking as he glanced around, sleepily trying to figure out what was going on when he suddenly smelled something burning. "Shit!" Quickly, he moved off of the couch and hurried into the living room, knowing that the lasagna was probably burned to a crisp by now.

It definitely was.

When Blaine opened the oven, smoke poured out, and he coughed as he jerked the burning food out of the oven. He then slammed the door shut to prevent any more of the smoke from escaping before he hurried to the smoke detector on the wall, knowing that may go off considering the kitchen was now pretty smokey. He pulled the batteries out to prevent it from beeping and let out a breath, thankful that it hadn't yet began to sound it's alarm. That would not have been good.

"Jesus." He let out a breath and simply leaned against the counter for a moment to calm down after that mini-panic he'd just had when he suddenly realized that Ava was still screaming.  
>"Crap!" Blaine pushed himself off the counter and hurried to her room, hating that he had to deal with the food instead of tending to her; but then again, a fire because of his mistake would not have been good, so maybe it was okay that he got the lasagna first...<p>

Ava's cries made Blaine frown and his heart broke when he scooped her up from the crib and she continued to wail. "Shh, sweet girl. It's okay. It's okay." He whispered as he gently bounced, trying to soothe her by resting her on his shoulder. "Daddy's got you now- Oh my god." He froze when he suddenly felt a warm, wet feeling down his back. He quickly changed positions and cradled Ava in his arms, realizing that she must have just spit up. A lot. Right down his back. Totally grossed out by the feeling, he hurried across the hallway to the bedroom so he could attempt to change clothes.

Ava, however, was not a fan of that. The little girl screamed at the top of her lungs the instant Blaine put her down and she didn't stop until he picked her up again after he hurried put on clothes (that he wasn't even sure matched).

"Shhh, it's okay." Blaine scooped her up as soon as he could and gently rocked her. He then gently rubbed her stomach, smiling when she blinked up at him. "See, no reason to cry. Daddy's got you now and it's allll okay." He continued to rub her stomach to keep her calm and he headed out towards the living room, wondering if she would sit in her swing while he attempted to get himself some lunch again, considering he had burnt what he'd planned on eating.  
>He quickly discovered that, no, she definitely did not want to sit in her swing, so he simply carried her into the kitchen to see what he could make while holding the baby. Hmm, maybe leftovers? Carefully, he grabbed some Chinese from the fridge, thinking that would be fairly easy to heat up and eat while holding Ava. It turned out that it was, so he gladly sat down at the table a few minutes later and began to eat.<p>

However, Blaine had only taken a few bites of food when the baby began to wail rather loudly, apparently not happy about something- whatever it was, Blaine wasn't totally sure.  
>"Well your diaper is dry..." He mumbled after checking. "And you shouldn't be hungry; it's not time for another bottle..." Frowning, he stood up and gently rocked her, wondering if she was tired. But then again, she had just woke up from a nap, so... maybe not? "What is it, baby? What's wrong?" He whispered as he gently bounced her, frowning when that only seemed to make her cry even more.<p>

Thinking that maybe she was ready for another bottle, Blaine hurriedly began to make one, hating that Ava was crying so loudly and he couldn't get her to stop. He absolutely hated to hear her cry.  
>"Look, look, I have your bottle!" He exclaimed when he was finished preparing it. He cradled her in his arms and held the bottle to her mouth, waiting for her to start sucking on it; however, she didn't. She turned her head away and continued to wail, apparently having no interest in the milk. "Ava." Blaine sighed and tried again, only to watch his little girl do the same thing again. Apparently she wasn't hungry. Urgh.<p>

Confused and wondering how to stop the crying, Blaine moved towards the nursery, thinking he could try rocking her.

That didn't help.

Neither did singing, bouncing, swaying, swinging, trying to feed her again, or giving her gas drops to see if it would settle an upset stomach (if that was what was causing her cries). He simply did not know what was wrong, which meant that he he did not know how to help.

It wasn't a good feeling, and hours later when she was still crying, Blaine was nearly in tears himself. He was hungry, tired, needed to pee, and didn't know how the hell to help his very upset little girl. Nothing he did was working and he was just so, so stressed out. If only Kurt would come home and-

"Finally, I'm home from work!"

The sound of Kurt's melodic voice rung out through the apartment and Blaine practically sobbed in relief. Thank god. Maybe Kurt could figure out what was wrong with Ava, and if not, he could at least hold her for a little bit and give Blaine a break...

"Blaine?" Kurt called as he headed towards the nursery, hearing the cries coming from the room. "Is Ava being fussy or- Oh." He stopped in the doorway, quite surprised to find an upset Blaine pacing in the room, gently rubbing Ava's back in attempt to soothe her.

"Kurt." He whispered when he saw his husband. He immediately walked over and placed the baby in his arms, trembling slightly when he pulled away. "I need... I just need a break."

Alarmed, Kurt nodded quickly and gently rocked Ava. "Of course, honey. Go... go have a break." He definitely looked like he needed one.

Blaine didn't need to be told twice and in a flash he was out of the nursery. He took a few deep breaths as he headed to the bathroom, feeling so incredibly thankful that Kurt was home. He just... he didn't know what to do anymore! He'd tried _everything_ he knew and nothing would quiet Ava's cries, and he just _hated_ it.  
>Sighing, he quickly relieved himself before going to the bedroom to take some aspirin. His head as absolutely pounding and he just needed a moment without the crying...<p>

Wait a second.

The crying.

He couldn't hear it anymore.

Blinking in surprise, Blaine poked his head out into the hallway, totally shocked to hear... nothing. Not a single shriek, cry, or whimper was coming from the nursery. Instead there was just silence, with an occasional little 'shhh' from Kurt.

After a moment the man headed to the bedroom to join his husband, who was still looking rather shocked. "Honey?"

Blaine stared at Kurt for a moment, shaking his head slightly. "How did you do that?"

"Do what?"

_"That!"_

"Um... what?"

"Ava!" Blaine exclaimed. "How did you get her to stop? She'd been crying for _hours_ and nothing I did would settle her..."

"Um..." Kurt shrugged as he kicked off his shoes and began to unbutton his vest. "I just rocked her and she went right to sleep. She seemed exhausted."

"You're _kidding."_

"Nope."

"Well she wouldn't sleep for me!"

"Well." Kurt shrugged again before he walked over to Blaine to wrap his arms around him. "Apparently she just missed her Papa. Not that I blame her... I missed her so much."

Blaine shook his head slightly and frowned. Of course. Of course Ava just wanted her Papa. She was used to having both of her fathers around so maybe that really was it...  
>The thought just made him frown even more because, well, how the heck was he supposed to do this every day? The crying was just so much and he didn't know if he could handle hours of wailing every day just because Kurt had to work...<p>

"Hey."

Blaine blinked and looked up at Kurt, though he was still frowning slightly. "Hm?"

"You did great with her. It was your first day with Ava by yourself, and you did everything you could. You can't help that she was cranky and just wanted me." Kurt said softly, leaning in to peck his husband's cheek. "And I'm sure she'll get used to this. It was just the first day... who knows, maybe tomorrow she'll be good as gold and not cry at all."

"I hope so." Blaine mumbled, shaking his head slightly.

Kurt just smiled and leaned in for a kiss. "Trust me. You're an amazing father." He murmured after a moment. "It'll be fine... now, how about we just enjoy this silence and take a nap, huh? Work wore me out today and I can tell by looking at you that you're tired."

Nodding eagerly, Blaine just fell back on the bed without a word. A nap sounded heavenly and there was no way he was going to pass this up. Nope. Not after today.

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><p><strong>Aww, Blaine had a rough day with Ava... but it's all better now. Yay! :)<strong>


	3. Chapter 3

**Here's chapter two, containing Ava's first outing and first poop disaster.**

**Ryan and Zack are also making a return for this chapter. You probably remember them from _This Feeling_. I decided to bring them into this story because you all seemed to like them a lot, and, well, I like writing them. So, enjoy. :)**

**I do not own Glee.**

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><p>"Are you sure we should take her out? I mean, it is a little chilly outside." Kurt said with worry as he buttoned Ava onesie. He then grabbed a long sleeved shirt and some pants to layer over top, as he didn't want his little girl to get cold.<p>

"She's three weeks old now, Kurt. We've kept her home for the first few weeks like the doctor suggested. As long as we have her jacket and blanket on her, it should be alright."

"Are you sure?"

"Positive." Blaine walked over to the changing table and smiled down at the wriggling little girl. "You're excited, aren't you, baby? You wanna go see Ryan and Zack?" He cooed, grabbing tiny baby to slip onto her feet.

Kurt raised an eyebrow as he placed some wipes in the diaper bag, hearing the baby gurgle. "Apparently she is excited... and, you know, I bet that Ryan is too. Zack said on the phone that he's been going stir crazy ever since being out on bed rest."

"Oh, trust me, I've been there." Blaine muttered as he shook his head slightly. He then scooped Ava into his arms and smiled, watching her open her mouth in a yawn. "That was a big one! You sleepy already, little girl? Hmm? I bet you'll fall asleep in the stroller on the way to..."

Kurt listened as Blaine jabbered on to the baby and he smiled when she just blinked up at him. It was just too cute. Suddenly, the phone ringing jerked him from his thoughts and he started out of the room with an, "I'll get it!"

He was talking on the phone when Blaine emerged from the bedroom, carrying Ava who was dressed and ready in her little jacket and hat. After a moment, he hung up and turned to his husband. "That was Ryan making sure that we're still coming over. I told him we needed to stop by the store to get some baby formula and diapers, and then we'd be over."

"Okay." Blaine smiled as he opened the coat closet, where they also kept the small stroller for Ava. It hadn't yet been used and it was exciting that it would come in handy today. "Maybe we should pick him up something at the store, too," He suggested once the stroller was properly set up. "Like ice cream or something. That always made me feel better when I was pregnant." He placed Ava in the stroller and buckled her in before grabbing her blanket to tuck around her to insure that she wouldn't get cold.

"Yeah, we should." Kurt agreed with a small smile. "I'll go grab the diaper bag and then I'll be ready, okay?"

Nodding, Blaine watched Kurt walk off down the hallway before turning back to Ava. He smiled softly, thinking she looked absolutely adorable all snuggled into the stroller with her jacket and blanket.

"Back!" Kurt pressed a kiss to Blaine cheek, startling him, but the curly-haired man quickly recovered with a smile.

"Let's go."

The two headed out of the apartment then, thankful that their building had an elevator that they could take the stroller in. It made things much, much easier.  
>Once outside they headed to the small shop down the street where they often bought the things they needed. They went down the aisles together, grabbing juice, formula, diapers, some chips that Blaine wanted, and some ice cream for Ryan.<p>

"You think he'll like this flavor?" Kurt asked whole examining the container.

Blaine snorted and gave his husband a look. "Honey, it's chocolate. How could he not?"

Kurt sort of nodded at that, figuring that Blaine was right. This double chocolate fudge flavor would be good.

The two quickly paid for the few items they had and placed them in the small basket attached to the stroller. It turned out that it was a great place to store things like the diaper bag and any other items that they would otherwise need to carry, and both were really glad it was there.

"Hey." Blaine murmured as they were walking out of the store, now ready to head to Ryan and Zack's house.

Kurt glanced over with a small smile. "Hmm?"

"Look."

The countertenor looked down at the stroller, smiling when he realized that Ava had indeed fallen asleep all snuggled up in her blanket. "Oh, that's so cute." He said softly and reached into his pocket for his cell phone, because, hey, this was definitely an opportunity for an adorable picture. He quickly snapped a few photos before pocketing his phone once again, still smiling as they walked.

"We're here now." Blaine murmured as they approached the apartment building. It was fairly close, and they hadn't been walking for very long, but Blaine was so tired and ready to sit down. The baby had woken several times the previous night and he was absolutely worn out because of it.

It seemed that Kurt was feeling the same way, too, because he let out a small cheer. "Thank goodness."  
>The two headed into the building and to the elevator, where they travelled to the third floor. It wasn't long til they were at the correct door, knocking gently and waiting for someone to answer.<p>

"Guys!" Zack exclaimed as he pulled the door open. "And baby girl! How are you?" He stepped back to allow the others in and he smiled slightly, clearly happy to see his friends.

"We're good. Just tired." Kurt responded with a small shrug. He walked inside first and then turned around, ready to get Ava out of her stroller once Blaine had come through the girl. The little girl was just beginning to wake up and he already knew that Zack and Ryan were going to ask to hold her the second they could.

"Hello!" Ryan called from where he sat on the couch in the living room, absently flipping through a baby magazine. His stomach was now very large and rounded, and also the reason he was currently on bed rest. After having a few previous miscarriages and an unsure start to this pregnancy, the doctor wanted him taking it easy during the last few weeks before delivery. The only way to do so was to put him on bed rest. And despite the fact he knew it was for the health of his baby, Ryan was going stir crazy.

Blaine was the first to make his way into the living room, carrying the small bag that contained the ice cream that was a surprise for Ryan. "Hey, you." He smiled, blinking in surprise when he saw his stomach. "Holy crap, you've gotten bigger since the last time I saw you, I swear!" The last time they'd seen each other in person was at the hospital, when Ava was born, and then Ryan had been placed on bed rest right after that.

Sighing softly, Ryan dropped a hand down to rub his stomach. "I know." He murmured, though after a moment he smiled slightly. "It's okay, though. I know it'll be worth it in the end."

"It definitely is." Blaine said with an understanding smile. He then held the bag out to the pregnant man with an even bigger grin. "We brought you a present, by the way. It always made me feel better back when I was on bed rest, so we thought you might enjoy it."

Ryan immediately snatched the bag and excitedly looked inside. "Ice cream!" He gasped happily after a moment, clearly pleased with the treat. "Zack, look!" He held the carton up to his husband and gave him a pleading look. "Get us some spoons, please?"

"Oh, so you want some right now?" Zack chuckled from where he stood in the doorway, having been watching the interaction for a moment.

"Yes."

"Yes?"

"Please."

"Okay." Smiling, Zack turned and retreated into the kitchen to get what his husband asked.

Kurt walked over then with Ava, who was blinking sleepily and stretching in her father's arms. Ryan immediately perked up at the sight of her and held his arms out with excitement. "May I hold her? Please?" He looked at his friends expectantly. "I need some practice for when my own little girl gets here, you know."

Kurt couldn't help but chuckle at that as he moved over to the couch so he could easily pass the baby over to his friend. The transfer was fairly quick and in only a few seconds, Ava was safely nestled in Ryan's arms. She just looked up at him with her big blue eyes, seeming to be content with him holding her. Ryan, of course, was just over the moon and immediately break cooing to the baby, telling her how adorable she was and how much he loved babies.

The sight made Zack pause upon entry into the living room, and for a moment he just smiled dreamily at his husband.

"This will be your reality really soon, you know," Blaine said softly, "and you're going to love it. Nothing compares to becoming a parent."

Nodding slightly, Zack looked at Blaine with a small smile. "I bet." He murmured. "I can't wait for the baby to get here. We picked out a name, you know."

"Really?"

"Yeah. Graciela." Zack practically beamed at that. "Graciela Marie."

"That's beautiful."

"Thanks."

They fell into a comfortable silence then and turned their attention back to Ryan, who was still fawning over Ava. "She's so gorgeous, guys." He said. "Really. Her eyes are all Kurt and these curls... well we know where she got em." He glanced at Blaine, who was blushing slightly.

Kurt chuckled and leaned over to look at Ava. "We pretty much say the same thing all the time." He shrugged, watching Ryan shift on the couch. He grimaced for a moment and it was evident that he was feeling a bit uncomfortable, but before Kurt could ask about it, Zack was moving to his side.

"What's the matter? Anything wrong? Do you need something? I can take Ava if you need-"

"Zack." Ryan muttered. "I'm pregnant, not invalid. Calm down."

Blushing slightly, Zack backed up, though it was obvious that he was still a bit concerned. "Sorry. I just wanted to make sure you were okay." He murmured.

Ryan let out a soft sigh but after a moment he looked up at his husband and smiled. "I know. It's okay." He murmured. He then shifted again and held his arms out. "Wanna hold her?"

The reaction from Zack was immediate and he scooped the baby into his arms. "Hello, little one. What're you doing, huh? I bet you're- Oh!" He suddenly made a face before turning towards Kurt and Blaine with a slightly amused smile. "I think someone is making a poopy diaper... which I will leave to you." He promptly deposited Ava into Blaine's arms before sitting down beside Ryan. "I'm not gonna change that until I have to."

"Baby." Ryan teased under his breath.

"Am not.

"Are to."

"No I'm not!"

"You are!"

"I'm _not,_ now stop being so..."

Blaine listened as the two continued to playfully banter back and forth and he shook his head with a small chuckle. "They're silly, huh?" He whispered to Ava, whose face was quite red as she let out a grunt. Apparently she wasn't done filling her diaper just yet.  
>Content to wait, Blaine just sat back and held the baby, figuring that he would change her when it sounded like she was done.<p>

It was about ten minutes later while in the middle of a discussion about what brand of diapers worked the best when he figured that she was probably done. So, thinking it would be easier to change her on a changing table, he got up and headed towards the nursery that Ryan and Zack had been working on in anticipation for their own little girl to arrive. He hadn't gotten very far, however, when he was suddenly gasping and letting out a quiet, "Shit!"

Hearing a sound of distress from his husband, Kurt turned around with a small frown. "Blaine, honey?"

"I think her diaper's leaking poop. Like, all over me." Totally grossed out and in a hurry to get cleaned up, Blaine rushed towards the nursery to take care of Ava's diaper. The sooner they got it off of her, the better, he decided, and he quickly dug in the diaper bag to find what he needed. The wipes were what he grabbed first and he opened them after laying the baby on the changing pad.

"Need some help?"

Blaine glanced up to see Kurt walk into the room and he smiled gratefully at him. "Maybe. I dunno what this diaper is gonna be like, exactly." He sort of laughed. He then got to work unbuttoning Ava's outfit, with was now dirty, before unfastening the diaper.

What was inside made both him and Kurt cringe.

"Oh, wow. That's some nasty poop." Kurt laughed, handing some wipes to Blaine, who merely nodded and started to wipe her clean. However, after a moment he stopped and let out a groan.

"Kurt, I think it went up her back."

"Huh?" Kurt blinked and glanced down at Ava. "The poop?"

"Yes. It... yeah, her back it covered in it."

"Gross!"

"Well help me!" Blaine exclaimed and waved Kurt a bit closer. "Hold her up while I try to get her shirt off. And let's try to avoid getting this in her hair; that would just create more of a mess than we already have..."

Kurt did what he was told and helped sit the baby up, though he couldn't help the small squeal he let out when Blaine grazed his hand with the soiled baby clothing. "Ohmy_Gaga_, you got _poop_ on me!" He exclaimed in horror.

Blinking, Blaine glanced at Kurt's hand for a moment before shaking his head. "So? It's on my shirt from where I was holding her, so don't-"

"It's disgusting!"

"I know! But we've gotta clean this up anyways... and the sooner, the better." Blaine sighed, wrinkling his nose as he ran a wipe down Ava's back. Kurt did the same with a wipe of his own, figuring it might make it go faster if he helped.

The two were still cleaning up the baby when Zack poked his head in to check on them. "You all have been in here for a- whoa." He stopped when he saw the mess before him: Blaine with a dirty shirt, Kurt looking distressed and grossed out, and Ava still partially covered in poop. It was enough to make him laugh, though he quickly tried to stop when Kurt have him a dirty look "Ah. So that's what happened."

"Yep. Poop." The countertenor mumbled with a small sigh. He then looked to Zack with a slight smile. "You're welcome to help us, though. It'll be great practice for when Graciela gets here,you know, and-"

"Tempting as that sounds," Zack started with a small grin, "I think I'll leave it to you guys. Have fun with that, mkay?" Laughing, he turned and walked away, leaving the two poop-covered men to fend for themselves.

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><p><strong>Ha, Zack left the daddies to fend for themselves. Surely they can handle a nasty diaper, right? ;)<strong>


	4. Chapter 4

**This chapter contains Ava's first meeting with Uncle Cooper. Sorry if my version of Cooper is... eh.. but whatevs! We have some cute Uncle/Niece goodness happening in this chapter, so yayy! :D**

**I do not own Glee.**

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><p>Blaine was home alone with Ava, preparing a bottle for her, when a knock at the door startled him.<br>'I'm not expecting anyone.' He thought, carefully shifting the baby in his arms as he headed towards the front entryway. He stood on his toes to look through the peephole and he let out a gasp when he realized who was on his doorstep. He immediately opened the door.

"Cooper?"

"Blaine!"

The shorter man stepped out of the way, grinning in an '_I can't believe it'_ sort of way as he looked his brother over.

"What?" Cooper laughed as he walked inside and closed the door behind him.

"It's just... well, long time no see!" Blaine exclaimed, moving in to carefully give the other a one-armed hug. It seemed that Ava didn't approve, however, because she suddenly let out a loud wail that startled both men.

Cooper chuckled as he pulled away to look down at her. "So this is my little niece, huh?" He raised an eyebrow.

"Uh, yeah! It is. Ava." Blaine nodded, suddenly remembering that he had been preparing a bottle for her. "Oh, hang on." He hurried back to the kitchen and grabbed said bottle from the counter before heading towards the living room, signaling Cooper to follow. "Let's sit down."  
>A few minutes later when Blaine was settled on the couch with Ava in his arms, and Cooper was settled in the chair nearby, Blaine cleared his throat. "So. What brings you to town? I wasn't expecting you or anything."<p>

Cooper shrugged as he leaned back in the chair. "I'm doing a commercial for these new dog leashes and the company wants it filmed in Central Park. So they sent me to New York and I thought, hey, why not see my brother and his new daughter!" Smiling, he motioned towards them, "Mom's told me a lot about her. Said that she was early but everything turned out fine."

"Yeah," Blaine nodded slightly. "Everything was fine." After a moment he frowned slightly and gave his brother a curious look. "I tried calling you to see if you wanted to visit..."

"Oh, my number was changed. Some crazy fan kept calling and texting me, so I got a new one."

"Ah. Didn't know." Blaine mumbled, though he thought he very well should have. Brothers should know each other's numbers. They should talk. Right? "Well, anyways, how have you been? We haven't spoken since... well, it's been a while."

Cooper nodded slightly at that. "It has been a while. But I've been good." He shrugged slightly. "Things were rough for a while money wise, but it's okay now."  
>For a moment Blaine expected Cooper to go on a self-centered ramble about his life and commercials, so he he was pleasantly surprised when he returned the question. "What about you, Blainey? How've things been around here? You and Kurt doing okay?"<p>

"Um. Well," Blaine paused for a moment, thinking, and then smiled. "Things have been really, really good. We're doing great." He glanced down towards Ava, who was finishing her small bottle. "Having this little one is great. Kurt and I absolutely adore being fathers... I can't imagine my life without Ava, and I'm sure Kurt would say the same. It's just amazing."

"Good." Cooper murmured, watching as his little brother propped the baby up on his shoulder to burp her. "I heard about what happened with that... that guy. Mom told me about it." He paused when he saw Blaine's expression change, but the look only lasted for a second and he continued on, "I'm glad everything's okay with that, too. If I would have known... I would have... well, I would've been here."

"No, no, it's okay." Blaine responded immediately by shaking his head. It was clear that he didn't want to talk about that particular incident. "Really, it is. I know you're busy and... it's fine." Shrugging, he looked at his brother and gave him a small smile. "I'm just glad you're here now, meeting your niece."

"Yeah! Yeah, me too." Cooper looked to the baby, who, at that moment, let out a very large burp. Both men laughed and after a moment Cooper help out his arms. "Can I hold her?"

The question obviously surprised Blaine, but he nodded excitedly and scooted over. "Of course! Here." Carefully, the two maneuvered to exchange the baby, and after a moment the commercial star was settled with her.

"Hey there, Squirt." He grinned when she blinked her blue eyes at him. "I'm your Uncle Coop. How ya been, huh?" He paused for a moment and laughed when she yawned, as the act was totally adorable. "Oh my, you're a pretty little thing." He murmured.

Blaine merely watched from the couch, grinning widely as he listened to his brother. He was still talking to the baby, telling her how much of a cutie she was and how she probably had her daddies wrapped around her finger, when suddenly her little face puckered up as it did before she was about to cry. "Oh..." Blaine immediately stood up, about to swoop in to soothe the little girl; however, Cooper suddenly held up a hand to stop him.

Surprised, Blaine stopped and watched as his brother stood up with the baby, keeping her cradled in his arms.  
>"Shh, little one." He said softly, swaying back and forth. "No need to cry. Uncle Coop's got ya. Everything's okay. You're just fine." After a moment, Ava seemed to relax, all signs of her previous distress gone as she listened to her uncle softly talk to her.<p>

"Well." Blaine couldn't help but laugh, which caught the other man's attention.

"What?"

Blaine shrugged slightly and motioned towards Ava. "I'm surprised." He said, laughing again when Cooper gave him a mock-hurt expression.

"What, did you think I wouldn't know how to handle a baby?"

"Well, yeah."

"Hmph." Pouting, Cooper turned away from Blaine and looked back to his little niece in his arms. "Your daddy is a meanie, Ava. A meanie. Did you know that? Huh? I bet you did, little girl, you have to live with him all the-_ Hey!_ Blaine! That _hurt!"_

"Aw, shaddup. I barely smacked you." Blaine rolled his eyes before smiling innocently.

Cooper made a face before sitting down again. "Well. It was quite rude. Now if you'll excuse me, I have a conversation with Ava to finish..." Making a small 'hmph' noise, he turned back to the baby and began to talk.

This went on for about an hour, with Copper jabbering away to Ava as Blaine sat on the couch, totally loving and amazed by the sight in front of him. It was just... it was so great to see his big brother interacting with Ava like that. And Ava actually seemed to like him! She wasn't crying! Which, of course, was something else Blaine loved. No crying in an apartment with a newborn was absolutely wonderful; both Kurt and Blaine had realized that early on.

Smiling, Blaine glanced down at his phone when he felt it vibrate. It was a text from Kurt, asking how he and Ava were, so he responded with a, "Just fine. Ava's enjoying some time with her Uncle Coop" before moving to stand up. Kurt would be home soon and he knew he needed to get dinner started.

"Hey."

Cooper glanced up. "Hm?"

"You staying to eat?"

"Yeah."

"Okay." Nodding, Blaine started to head into the kitchen, but stopped at the sound of Cooper's voice.

"Blaine?"

He turned around with a curious expression, wondering what he wanted. "Yeah?"

"I missed you. Thanks for... well, for letting me come over." He said simply and smiled.

Grinning, Blaine waved a hand. "No problem, Coop. I missed you too." He said, not bothering to mention that he didn't really "let" Cooper come over; he'd just showed up at the apartment on his own.  
>But... that was just who brother was, and as Blaine watched him turn back towards Ava to coo and play, he decided that was perfectly fine with him.<p>

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><p><strong>Short, I know... but don't worry, Uncle Cooper will be back for later chapters! Some Uncle Finn goodness will be coming up soon, too, so don't think I've forgotten about him. :)<strong>

**That being said, what "first" should I write next? First illness? First day home with Kurt? First time meeting Finn? Something else?**  
><strong>...Let me know, because I can't decide!<strong>


	5. Chapter 5

**It's time for Kurt's first day alone with Ava. Woot woot!**

**I do not own Glee.**

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><p>"I think I'm gonna go to the gym today."<p>

The statement from his husband caused Kurt to look up from the sketch he was working on and he raised an eyebrow. "You are?"

"Mhmm." Blaine nodded, seeming to be thinking about something for a moment. "I haven't been able to work out since way before Ava was born, and, well..." He motioned to his midsection, "I kind of want to lose this baby weight. I feel fat. And I miss boxing."

Kurt looked his husband over before he stood up and walked over to wrap his arms around him. "I think you look beautiful." He said softly, pressing a kiss to his cheek. "But I know you miss boxing. It'll be fun for you to work out again." He murmured.

Blushing slightly, Blaine turned his head for a proper kiss before he pulled away. "Thank you. But yes... I really wanna start working out again." He murmured. "Which means you'll have the day with Ava, if that's okay?"

"Of course." Kurt smiled at the thought of spending time with his little girl. "You go have fun and the gym and Ava and I will have fun here."

"You sure?" Blaine asked as he started towards the bedroom, knowing his gym bag was probably shoved somewhere in the back of the closet. "It'll be your first day alone with her." He pointed out.

Kurt followed the other man into the bedroom, shrugging slightly. "It'll be fine. You stay home with her all the time while I'm working, so it's time we had a switch. Besides, you deserve to get out of the house." He said, opening the closet. He immediately pulled out the black gym bag, apparently already knowing where it was. "You've been cooped up here a lot lately and deserve a break."

Smiling, Blaine slipped an arm around his husband's waist and moved in for a kiss. "Mmm, thank you." He said softly. He kissed him yet again, letting this one linger a bit more before he pulled away. "I appreciate it." He then turned and grabbed his gym shoes, shorts, and tshirt that he needed before tossing them into the bag, knowing that he was going to need them.

About ten minutes later, he was ready to go.

"Call if you need anything." He said to Kurt as they walked down the hallway together. "I'll be back in a few hours... I'll probably pick dinner up on the way home."

"Chinese?"

"You know it."

"Okay." Smiling, Kurt leaned in for a kiss and he pulled away when he heard the baby start crying. "Ah, sounds like the princess had awoken from her slumber." He murmured. He snuck one more quick kiss before turning towards the nursery, knowing he needed to get Ava. "Have fun at the gym. Love you."

"Love you too." Blaine smiled before heading out, thinking it was going to be nice to be out of the house for a little bit. As much as he loved being a daddy and taking care of Ava, he needed some time for himself too. This would be perfect. He could get a good work out and have some time to himself while doing something he loved- boxing! He just hoped that Ava would be good for Kurt.

"Okay, okay, Papa's here." Kurt murmured as he walked into the nursery, where the baby was whimpering from her crib. He immediately scooped her into his arms and pressed a kiss to her forehead, happy when her wails subsided. "Did you have a nice nap, little one?" He asked as he headed to the changing table to change her wet diaper. "You slept for quite a while. Yes you did." He cooed, smiling when she blinked her big, blue eyes at him. "Now you get to spend some time with Papa while Daddy's at the gym. Yes. We're gonna have some fun."

Still smiling at how adorable his daughter was, Kurt scooped Ava into his arms and headed towards the living room, deciding that they would have some play time together. He and Blaine had recently bought this toy that the baby could lay underneath and watch as it lit up and played music, and both men loved watching their daughter's face as she listened. It was obvious that the little girl had a love for music already.  
>"Here, let's play with the music toy." He murmured, spreading out a small blanket on the floor. He then laid Ava in the center of it before retrieving the toy, which he quickly set up and turned on. "Ooh, how's that? Twinkle twinkle little star." He grinned as the first song began to play. Ava stared up at it in wonder and the look on her face made Kurt smile with delight. She was just the cutest little thing!<p>

For about thirty minutes Ava laid on the floor, simply watching the toy as Kurt sat beside her, messing with the toy and cooing to her all the while. It was clear that he was enjoying this time with his little girl.

"Well." He finally said with a glance towards the clock. "Since you're playing so nicely, I'm going to go work on my assignment. You have fun." He smiled, heading over to the couch, where he still had the perfect view of the little girl on the floor. He figured he could watch her from here while working on a sketch he needed to complete for one of his classes.

Ava, however, didn't agree. After only about a minute of being left alone, she began to squirm and let out small whimpers. The sound of her distress caught Kurt's attention and he looked up, softy calling out, "Papa's right here, sweet pea. It's okay." This seemed to soothe her for only a moment, for after a few seconds of silence she let out a rather loud wail. Kurt immediately jumped to his feet, not even caring that he'd dropped his sketch, because he hated the sounds of his little girl crying. It absolutely broke his heart to hear her wails.

"Shh, baby girl, it's okay." He whispered soothingly as he scooped her up, trying to calm her down. "Papa's here now. Papa's got you. You're okay." He gently rocked her for a moment and it seemed to help a little, though she still let out a small, pathetic whine from where she lay in his arms.

"What is it?" He asked softly, still trying his best to calm her. "What do you need, angel? C'mon. Tell Papa."

The baby continued to cry and Kurt began trying to figure out what was wrong.

She didn't have a wet diaper, she didn't need to burp, her stomach didn't feel tight like she might be gassy...

Hmm.

"Are you hungry?" Kurt said softly and made his way towards the kitchen, thinking maybe that was the case. She typically ate every three hours or so, and even though it wasn't quite time for the next bottle, Kurt knew that she sometimes got hungry before that. "Papa's gonna make you a bottle. It'll be okay." He murmured soothingly while grabbing the canister of baby formula.

Three minutes later, he was seated on the couch, feeding Ava. It seemed that hunger had been the problem, as she took the bottle almost immediately and began to drink without protest.

"Hungry girl." He chuckled, looking down at her with a smile. Her little curls were especially curly today, he thought, and he let out a happy sigh as he imagined what her hair would look like as it got longer. It would be so cute. "I'm glad you got Daddy's hair, little one." He chuckled again, reaching down to gently brush a dark ringlet from her forehead.

Soon enough Ava was finished with her milk and ready to be burped, so Kurt gently propped her up on his shoulder to pat her back. She quickly let out a little burp and then relaxed, apparently feeling better after that. Kurt smiled and switched positions to cradle her, but then instant he tried to settle her again she began screaming. "Oh!" Surprised, Kurt quickly stood up from the couch to sway back and forth, thinking the motion might soothe the crying child; however, it didn't.

"What's the mat- oh." Kurt let out a small chuckle when he heard Ava grunt and he realized that she must be in the process of making a dirty diaper. "We'll just have to go change that." Slowly, as to allow time for Ava to finish her business, he made his way towards the nursery, where the changing table was. He gently laid her down on it, making small 'shh' sounds as she continued to cry. "It's okay. Papa's gonna change your diaper." He cooed as he opened the box of wipes and grabbed a fresh diaper. He then carefully unbuttoned Ava's little outfit to get to the dirty diaper she was wearing, which smelled rather foul.  
>"Ugh." Kurt wrinkled his nose as he gently unfastened it. His face only scrunched up more when he saw what was inside, but he quickly grabbed a wipe to clean his daughter off.<p>

Ava wailed louder at the contact with the cold wipes, and Kurt worked quickly to clean her up. He was just about finished when the little girl squirmed and kicked her legs, sending the full, dirty diaper over the edge of the changing table.

"No!" Kurt exclaimed, gasping as the diaper smacked onto the carpet and left a smear of poop. "Oh no. No, no..." He let out a breath, knowing that he needed to get that cleaned up or else it was going to stain. However, he knew that he needed to tend to his upset daughter, no matter how gross looking and smelling the mess on the floor was.

"Okay, okay. It's- ohmyGaga." Just as he was about to put the clean diaper on Ava, he suddenly felt something wet and warm on her clothing and the pad of the changing table. It took him a moment, but he realized that she must have peed in the few seconds that he'd turned away to look at the mess on the floor, meaning that the baby and her clothing was now a mess.

Wrinkling his nose, Kurt quickly and carefully worked to get the soaked outfit off of his daughter, knowing that was probably uncomfortable to sit in. "Now you're all dirty." He frowned, realizing that he was going to need to bathe her. Blaine had mentioned the other day that Ava had done the same thing to him, and he had to give her an entire bath to clean her up. Sighing, he picked up the damp baby, making a small grossed-out noise at the warm liquid that was now on his shirt, before quickly heading into the bathroom. He and Blaine had recently bought a small baby tub that sat inside the regular one, so he grabbed out of the linen closet with one hand and put it in the tub to be filled.

After getting the water at a temperature that would be comfortable for Ava, he grabbed a small towel and her bath things that were stored in the closet, and turned back to the tub to get to work. "Okay, angel. It's bath time!" He said in a cheerful voice, though it quickly faded as his daughter just continued to scream. She screamed as she was placed in the water; she screamed as he gently shampooed her curly hair; she screamed as he carefully washed her little body; she screamed as he rinsed her off. She even screamed as he removed her from the tub and swaddled her in a soft, fluffy towel, something that she had seemed to like when she'd had a bath before. Apparently, though, this time was different.

"Okay, Papa's gonna lotion you and then get you dressed." Kurt said as he walked into the nursery. He quickly realized, though, that he couldn't use the changing table to do that because he hadn't yet cleaned up the pee mess.

'Okay. I'll use the bed.' He thought as he grabbed a pair of footed pajamas and the bottle of lotion. He then walked across the hall to his and Blaine's bedroom, where he gently laid the squirmy child on the bed.

Still trying to soothe her cries, he began to sing softly as he rubbed baby lotion onto her body. "Hush little baby, don't say a word. Papa's gonna buy you a mockingbird..." The singing seemed to soothe Ava some, and her cries subsided long enough for him to finish applying lotion and dressing her. He then continued to sing as he quickly pulled off his own shirt that was wet- covered in both urine and bath water- to change into a fresh one.

"There we go." He murmured once both himself and Ava were dressed. He turned to scoop the little girl into his arms and he smiled down at her. "That wasn't so bad, now was it?" He cooed, now heading back to the baby nursery. He had a mess in here that he needed to deal with now...

Hmm.

Maybe now that Ava was settled and seemed to be staying calm, he could put her down long enough for him to clean a little bit. Yeah.

Hoping that his plan would work, he gently placed her in her baby crib and turned on the mobile for her to watch. "Don't cry, don't cry, don't cry... Yes!" He exclaimed as he backed away from the crib, thankful that she was staying quiet. Now to clean up the mess...

Frowning, he decided that the poop disaster on the carpet was the more pressing of the two matters. After all, it could stain if he didn't get it cleaned up quickly...  
>So, he got to work, first picking up the dirty diaper before he went to find some stain remover to clean the brown spots from the carpet. He had just returned with the remover and some paper towels when he heard a small cough come from the crib. Alarmed, he stood to check on the baby and frowned when he realized the little girl had just spit up all over her crib blankets and was now wailing again. "Crap."<p>

Kurt instinctively started to pick her up, but froze when he realized that he hadn't washed his hands since dealing with the dirty diaper on the floor cleanup. And he _definitely_ needed to wash his hands before handling Ava. Quickly, he ran to the bathroom and cleaned up as fast as he could before moving back to the nursery.  
>"Shh, it's okay. Papa's got- oh,<em> Ava<em>!" He groaned when he realized that the squirmy, upset girl had turned her head right into the spit up. Her hair, that he was just washed, was now dirty yet again with the mess. What was he supposed to do now? Bathe her again? He also needed to clean up three messes now, and he wasn't sure if the little girl would allow it. She did seem pretty upset.

Sighing softly, Kurt scooped her up from the crib and started towards the bathroom, figuring another bath would be the only good way to get the sticky, smelly spit up from Ava's curly locks. It stink like sour milk and he didn't want his little girl going around smelling that way. "It's okay. Papa's just gonna wash you up again really quickly. It'll be okay. It'll-" He suddenly stopped, his whole body freezing as Ava let out a burp, spitting up yet again all over herself and the front of Kurt's shirt.

Crap! Now he definitely had to change to get this mess off of him, but he didn't know how he was supposed to do that with a dirty, screaming child that also needed cleaning up. He needed another set of hands to finish everything that needed to get done right then.  
>"How the heck does Blaine do this every day, by himself?" He said aloud with a frown, frozen where he was in the hallway. His mind was going a thousand miles a minute- should be try to bathe Ava first; should he try to change so he didn't get her dirty again with his soiled shirt; he needed to change her blankets; the changing table was covered in pee; there was still a mess on the nursery floor that was probably staining; he could tell that Ava was getting sleepy again, but he had to bathe and deal with the crib mess before he could let her rest...<p>

What was he supposed to do?

Biting his lip, he glanced towards the bathroom, and that's when he heard it.

The most wonderful sound he'd heard all day- the sound of the front door opening.

"Blaine!" He immediately exclaimed in relief, feeling like a huge weight had been lifted off his shoulders. Thank Gaga he was here; maybe now they could both work together to calm their daughter and clean up the mess that was now their apartment.

"Kurt?" A very sweaty Blaine called out as he walked inside. He was still dressed in his workout wear- a tight tshirt and a pair of shorts- and it was obvious he hadn't bothered to shower or change at the gym. "Hey..." He rounded the corner towards the hallway, a bit surprised to find his husband standing there, looking a mess and very, very stressed out.

Kurt looked at his husband with wide eyes. "A little help?" He asked with a small sigh, holding the baby out towards Blaine. "She's upset and needs another bath, and I know you just got home, but I need help and I-"

Blaine let out a small laugh at how Kurt was talking. He took the baby from him, who stopped crying the moment her Daddy had her, and he smirked at the other man in front of him. "Rough day, huh?" He asked, even though it hadn't really even been a full day since he'd left- it was just a couple of hours.

Kurt blinked as he looked at Ava and then at Blaine, nodding at the question. "Well, yeah.." He frowned. "It was."

Smirking even more, Blaine shook his head as he headed into the bathroom, leaving a confused Kurt in the hallway. "Oh, payback is sweet." He laughed, looking down at the tiny girl in his arms as he spoke. "So, _so_ sweet."

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><p><strong>Now Kurt knows what it feels like to have a rough day with the baby! I felt like he deserved that after Blaine's first day with her was so difficult. :)<strong>

**Anyways, what "first" would you guys like to see next? Let me know!**


	6. Chapter 6

**GUYS. I am SO sorry I haven't updated any of my stories lately. I've been so busy with stuff- from finals, school ending, graduation, and visiting family, I've hardly had any time to write. Now that I (should) have more free time, I'm going to try to update ALL of my stories more frequently... but I can't promise anything. All I can do is try. **

**Anyways, this chapter deals with Ava's first illness. Enjoy. **

**I do not own Glee.**

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><p>A small frown of worry crossed Kurt's features the moment he scooped his squalling daughter into his arms. Her little cheeks were flushed and her body was clearly warm to the touch. Concerned, Kurt moved towards the changing table and called out to his husband, figuring he would know where the thermometer was. "Honey?"<p>

It took a few minutes, but finally, a very sleepy, disheveled, and slow-moving Blaine made his way into the nursery (as he had just woken up). He rubbed at one of his eyes and managed a smile when he saw his husband and daughter, but it quickly disappeared when he realized that Kurt was frowning. "What?" He glanced to Ava with a concerned expression before looking to the other man. "What is it?"

Kurt sighed softly. "I think Ava's got a fever."

"What?" Immediately, Blaine was at the changing table, pressing a kiss to Ava's forehead. "She does feel warm." He frowned once he pulled away, not even pausing before he began to search for the thermometer in one of the baskets on the changing table shelf. He quickly located it, and without wasting any time, went on to take his daughter's temperature.

A few minutes later, the two men stood squinting at the thermometer. "100.3... definitely a fever." Kurt mumbled before he scooped a crying Ava into his arms. He gently rocked her back and forth in attempt to soothe her before he looked to Blaine. "We should call the pediatrician."

"Definitely should. With a fever like that, she needs to see a doctor."

Kurt nodded. "How about you go give the office a call while I see if I can get her to eat? I think she's hungry."

"Alright," Blaine murmured. He quickly cleaned off the thermometer to put it away, and then hurried out of the room to find his phone. If something was wrong with his daughter, he wanted to make sure she got checked out as soon as possible.

As Blaine went to go make an appointment with the pediatrician, Kurt headed to the kitchen to prepare a bottle. It didn't take him long (since he now considered himself a pro with how many times he'd done this lately) and in no time he was sitting on the couch, cradling Ava in his arms as he attempted to feed her the bottle. However, she didn't seem to want it. Every time he would try to place it in her mouth, she just would not latch on, and instead would turn her head and continue to cry.

"Ummm..." He mumbled, frowning when he just couldn't get her to take the bottle. "What is it, princess? You aren't hungry?" He let out a small sigh and stood up, wondering of walking around and bouncing her would help, as sometimes it calmed the infant down when she was cranky.

"Her appointment's at noon. It's the soonest they could work her in."

The sound of his husband's voice caused Kurt to turn and he smiled at him. "Okay... I guess it's a good thing I don't have to work today, then. I can go with you."

"Mhmm." Nodding, Blaine walked a bit closer to press a kiss to Ava's forehead. "I'm glad you'll be there... but until then we've gotta get ready and keep this fussy girl calm."

/~/

Keeping Ava calm was easier said than done.

When Kurt and Blaine attempted to give her Tylenol to reduce her fever, she wailed and nearly choked on the liquid, resulting in a panic from both men when she began to cough. When they tried giving her a cool bath to help the fever, she wailed and became very red in the face, clearly not liking the cold water. When they tried bouncing, rocking, singing, shushing, swinging, patting, and swaying, she cried. She simply could not be soothed.

It only made getting ready for the day very difficult, as both men needed to shower. They took turns holding her while the other rushed in the bathroom, trying to look presentable enough to get their little girl to the doctor.

Finally, they did, and even though they happened to be running ten minutes late for the appointment (thanks to NYC traffic), the men had never been happier to be inside a doctor's office.

"I hope they can find out what's wrong with her. She'd been crying for so long," Blaine said worriedly as he glanced down at the carrier that Ava was currently nestled in. Being in the car had seemed to soothe her slightly, and her cries had subsided, but she was still emitting the tiniest whimpers that just broke Blaine's heart. "It's like something's hurting her."

"I'm sure they'll figure it out." Kurt said immediately, though he couldn't help but glance down at their daughter with a worried expression. "It's their job to fix these kind of things."

"Mm."

"Ava Anderson-Hummel?"

The sound of a nurse calling the baby's name attracted the men's attention and both of them got up to be led to an exam room. The nurse asked typical questions about symptoms and the fever, and then left them to wait for the doctor.

"I hope she doesn't cry when the doctor looks her over," Kurt murmured as he sat down.

Blaine nodded in agreement, though he knew that Ava probably would cry anyways.

She did.

Despite the fact that Dr. Alexander was extremely nice, bubbly, and cooed to Ava the entire time he examined her, the little girl just wailed and wailed and wailed until the moment she was placed in her Papa's arms. The doctor merely smiled, as he'd seen many infants like this before, and watched as Kurt gently rocked her.

"It appears that Ava has a double ear infection."

"Double?" Kurt and Blaine said together, identical expressions of worry painted across their faces.

"An infection in each ear." Dr. Alexander confirmed as he turned to write on a small pad of paper. "I'm going to prescribe an antibiotic that will help with the fever and infection, but she'll probably still feel a lot of pressure in her ears for a few days. This means she's going to most likely cry since that's rather uncomfortable."

The thought of his angel crying because she was in pain made Blaine cringe. "Is there anything we can do to help that?" He asked immediately. If there was a way, he was going to do everything in his power to reduce the pain his Ava had to feel.

"Well," The doctor nodded slightly and smiled at Blaine, "Sitting her up can sometimes relieve the pressure. She most likely won't like laying down unless she's just totally exhausted, so be prepared for that."

"Okay..." Blaine nodded at that and glanced at Kurt, who merely nodded as well as he swayed with Ava.

"Any other questions?"

Both men glanced at the doctor and then shook their heads, unable to think of anything else.

"Alright then." Dr. Alexander said as he gathered his things, "Come back in a week if her symptoms don't improve, okay?" He nodded at the fathers before smiling at Ava, cooing to her, "Feel better, little one."

With that, he left.

Kurt and Blaine both let out identical sighs, thinking the exact same thing.

The next few days were going to be _veeeery_ interesting.

* * *

><p><strong>I know, I know, it's short... but that's because I'm continuing the whole "Ava's first illness" into the next chapter and combining it with Ava's first meeting with Uncle Finn. That'll be fun, won't it? :)<strong>


	7. Chapter 7

**Yeah, so, um, I know it's been forever since my last update. I've been so busy it's not even funny.**

**Anyways, this is a continuation of Ava's first illness, mixed with her first meeting with Uncle Finn. Enjoy. :)**

**I do not own Glee.**

* * *

><p>"I got the prescription!"<p>

"Oh thank Gaga!" Kurt looked up from we're he stood in the kitchen, swaying back and forth as he desperately tried to get Ava to drink her milk. Despite his attempts, the little girl was merely screaming and turning her head when he tried to give her the bottle. "The sooner we get her medicine in her, the sooner she can start feeling better."

"Definitely." Blaine made his way into the kitchen, opening the paper bag containing Ava's medicine. "It says to give her half a teaspoon two times a day," he read from the side of the bottle. He pulled out the medicine syringe that came from the pharmacy and got to work, measuring out the correct amount of liquid as Kurt continued his attempts to soothe the crying baby.

"Okay, here we go!"

Carefully, Blaine stepped closer with the syringe of medicine, ready to give it to Ava. "Let's hope she takes this..."

Kurt nodded in agreement as he cradled the baby, a paper towel in hand incase anything went wrong.

Thankfully, it didn't.

Despite the crying, Blaine was able to successfully squeeze the half teaspoon of medicine into Ava's mouth, and surprisingly, she ceased her crying just long enough to swallow it. "That was easy..." he said, sort of laughing as he placed the syringe into the sink. "I was expecting a lot more sputtering and for us to be covered in the medicine or something."

"Me too," Kurt laughed as he propped Ava up on his shoulder. She was still fussing just a bit, but he was hoping that sitting up like this would relieve some of the pressure on her hurting ears. "I guess that means it'll be a piece of cake when it comes to giving her medicine."

"Yeah, and thank goodness," Blaine smiled. He placed the small prescription bottle full of liquid in the refrigerator as instructed before looking to his husband. "Well."

"Well."

The two just looked at each other, not needing to say what they were thinking: it was going to be a long night. Having a baby in the house was hard enough, but now their baby was sick, and it was all new territory for them. They weren't used to this mind of thing, and while it was a bit scary not knowing exactly what to do, they were hoping they wouldn't have to deal with this often. Having a sick little girl was the last thing they wanted.

"Want me to take her?" Blaine held his arms out, eyebrows raised as he focused on the baby in his husband's arms. He thought perhaps he wanted a break.

"Sure." The two did a quick trade-off and then Kurt leaned against the counter with a sigh, watching Ava. "I just hope she sleeps tonight... I mean I know it's likely that she won't because she's sick, but..." he trailed off with a small shrug.

Blaine nodded. "I know," he glanced down at the sleepy girl in his arms. "I'm going to go give her a quick cool bath to help the fever and then see of she'll go to bed, okay?"

"Okay," Kurt nodded as he turned to one of the cabinets to put the container of baby formula away. "I'll be there in just a second to help you." As he continued to put away the few things strewn on the kitchen counters, he heard Blaine walk away, and then after a few minutes, the sound of running water. 'I hope she doesn't cry through the entire bath,' he thought as he remembered earlier when she had screamed through his cool-water bath they'd given her in attempt to lower her fever. Sometimes Ava seemed to enjoy her baths, and sometimes she seemed to hate them and screamed the entire time her fathers tried to wash her. So far so good, though, because he hadn't yet heard any crying coming from the bathroom.

Once everything was all cleaned up, Kurt turned off the kitchen light and started for the hallway so he could make sure Blaine didn't need any help; however, a knock at the door stopped him. "Huh…" He turned and headed to the entryway, knowing that they weren't expecting anyone today. Oh well. He opened the door, about to tell whatever solicitor or whomever it may be to go away, but the words died in his throat when he caught sight of the person standing there.

"Finn!"

"Hey, man!" The taller man quickly stepped into the apartment, a duffel bag slung over his arm. "What, no need to look so surprised to see me."

"But I am surprised!" Kurt exclaimed and shut the door. He then turned to face his step-brother, eyebrows raised. This was definitely unexpected. "I mean, well, what're you doing here? I wasn't expecting you or anything-"

"Wait, you didn't get my text?"

"Text?"

"Then I would take that as a no…" Shrugging, Finn tossed his bag to the floor so he could take off the jacket he was wearing. "You know how I told you a while back that I'd be here to visit soon and all that and I'd let you know, right?"

"Right."

"I sort of forgot to let you know until this morning. I texted to tell you I'd be arriving today."

"Really?" Kurt blinked in surprise. Had Finn seriously texted him? He didn't remember getting a text, but then again, today had been a bit hectic with Ava being sick. "I guess I didn't see it…" he felt his pockets for his phone and frowned when it wasn't there, but he guessed it was probably lying in some random place around the house. "Oh well."

"Yeah," Finn shrugged slightly and rocked back on his heels, still just looking at Kurt. "It's, uh, it's good to see you, though… Is it okay for me to be here?"

"Of course!" Kurt responded immediately and moved in closer, his arms open for a hug. He quickly attached himself to Finn, realizing he hadn't really greeted him yet, and let out a small laugh. "Of course it's fine. I was just surprised, that's all. And it's really good to see you too… it's been a while!"

A laugh escaped Finn as he hugged Kurt back and he nodded in agreement. "Since Christmas."

When the two pulled away, they were still smiling, but the sound of a cry quickly caught their attention.

"Oh, Blaine's probably done giving her a bath now," Kurt said and turned around to head towards the nursery. Finn followed, so the countertenor went on to explain, "Ava has an ear infection and isn't really feeling well, so things have been a bit crazy today…"

"Really?"

"Yeah."

"That sucks. I still can't wait to see her, though. You guys have sent me so many pictures but I'm just excited to really see her in person, you know?"

It took a moment, but Kurt's frazzled and sleep-deprived brain suddenly realized that his step-brother hadn't yet seen his niece. He'd been unable to be present at the time of her birth, and since Kurt and Blaine hadn't been to Lima since Ava was born, Finn hadn't gotten a chance to see her yet. It was probably a big deal for him, Kurt realized. This _was_ his first niece, after all. "Well.. I'm sure she's going to love you. Just don't take it personally if she cries when you hold her; she's been doing that a lot today since she's not feeling well," he told him and glanced over his shoulder with a smile. He then turned and headed into the nursery, where he found his husband fawning over a squirmy Ava at the changing table.

The curly haired man was rubbing baby lotion into her skin while simultaneously cooing to soothe her fussing. "Calm down, pretty girl. Daddy's just gotta finish getting you all lotioned up and then you can get dressed and we'll snuggle. I promise, I'm almost done. Yes ma'am, no need to cry, shhh…"

The sight made Kurt's chest feel tight. Witnessing these little moments of Blaine being so caring and loving towards their daughter always made him get a little emotional, even though he'd been seeing it ever since they'd brought Ava home. It never ceased to give him this extremely happy feeling.

"Blaine," he finally said, breaking the moment. The man looked up at the sound of his name, smiling and looking a bit surprised when he saw the other two in the room. "Hey! Finn! I didn't know you were coming for a visit."

Kurt smiled. "Neither did I, until about five minutes ago."

Finn let out a small laughed and rubbed the back of his neck. "Yeah, sorry about that…"

"Really, it's okay," Kurt shrugged and walked over to the dresser. He opened the second drawer down and pulled out a pair of footed pajamas for the baby before taking a place beside the changing table. "I can finish her up," he offered.

"Okay," Blaine shrugged. He took a step back and then turned to look at Finn again, a smile returning to his face. "Good to see you!" He went in for a hug, squeezing the other man tightly.

"You too, dude. Long time no see," Finn pulled back after a moment, smiling as well, before he glanced to the changing table. "Thought I'd stop in to see you all and finally meet the baby… Kurt mentioned that she was sick."

"Yeah, poor thing," Blaine's smile faded at the mention of Ava being ill. He still hated the thought of it- he just wanted his angel to feel better. "We got her medicine, though, so hopefully that'll start working and she'll be healthy again in no time."

Kurt, who had just finished snapping all of the buttons on Ava's outfit, nodded in agreement. "But until then, we just have to deal with a cranky little one," he sighed and scooped said child into his arms. She was still squirming just slightly, but was thankfully not crying.

Almost immediately, Finn's attention snapped to the baby. "Holy Grilled Cheesus, look at her," he laughed and moved a bit closer. "I've seen tons of pictures, but nothing compares to seeing in person… she's beautiful!"

Blushing, Kurt looked up and smiled at the expression on his brother's face, loving the look of adoration he had as he gazed at the baby. It was clear that Finn was truly excited about this. "Would you like to hold her?"

"Uh…" For a moment he hesitated, but Finn finally (and slowly) held out his arms. "Sure. I don't really have much experience with the whole baby-holding thing, but…" he trailed off when Kurt suddenly placed the baby into his grasp. She looked up at her uncle with her big, blue eyes before her face puckered up and she let out a loud wail.

"Oh, um," Finn looked between the other two, "Help?"

Blaine scooped Ava up and cradled her close, a small chuckle escaping as he took in Finn's startled expression. "She's tired and cranky right now. Don't take it personally."

"Exactly what I told him a minute ago," Kurt piped up with a small shrug. He then retrieved the pacifier and blanket from the crib to hand to Blaine. "Are you going to rock her?"

"Yeah."

"Okay. Finn and I will be out in the living room."

"Mkay."

Finn started to follow Kurt out of the room, but glanced back in curiosity to watch Blaine settle himself in the rocking chair, Ava in his arms. He began to rock slowly as he held her, also singing a very soft lullaby. Feeling as if he was intruding, the former football player backed out of the nursery and then headed down the hallway to find his brother, wondering if they had anything to eat in the house.

/~/

Thankfully, Blaine didn't have trouble getting Ava to sleep. After about twenty minutes he was able to place her in the crib and she stayed snoozing, pacifier in her mouth and blanket fisted in her hand. Hopefully she would stay like this for most of the night…  
>But that probably wouldn't happen. Not only was she a baby, but she was a sick baby, and he was predicting that she would be awake a lot in the night. Oh well.<p>

A yawn escaped his lips as he left the nursery and headed to the living room, but he quickly smiled when he heard Finn and Kurt. It seemed that the two were talking about the baby.

"She's such a blessing… I can't imagine life without her now. She's just… she's perfect," Kurt was saying.

"Aww. And she's definitely a cute baby. You know how some babies are really ugly when they're born?" Finn said, eyebrows raised, "Well, she's not an ugly baby, thank goodness." Both men laughed then and Blaine stepped out from the hallway, still smiling.

"She's asleep."

"No problems?"

"Nope. Went right out. I guess she was tired," he said and plopped down on the couch beside his husband. "Although I don't see her staying asleep for long, or better yet, knowing our luck, she'll wake up as soon as we go to bed.

"Most likely," Kurt agreed with a nod. He hated the fact that Blaine was probably right, but he knew it was just part of parenting. Having kids meant less sleep.

It was clear that Finn was curious about this. "Does she usually wake up a lot in the night?"

"No."

"Yes."

The fathers answered at the same time and then laughed, shaking their heads at the other's response.

"I guess it just depends, really," Blaine finally said with a shrug. "Some night she only wakes up once for a short period of time, and then others she's up several times."

"Oh, okay," Finn nodded. "But you think she'll be awake more now because she's sick?"

"Yeah."

"That sucks."

"Mhmm.."

The conversation changed then, and the three began discussing other things, such as Burt and Carole, work, school, Rachel, Ohio, New York… the topics went everywhere, and before they knew it, it was getting pretty late.

With a glance towards the clock, Blaine let out a surprised squeak. "Oh, man, we should probably get to bed," he said with a glance to his husband. The other two men looked to the clock as well, both also shocked by the time. "Guess we've been busy talking, huh?" he chuckled.

"Apparently," Kurt nodded as he stood up from his spot on the couch. He stretched and allowed his back to pop before looking to Finn. "I hope you don't mind sleeping on the couch. Our guest room got turned into the nursery, so…"

"Oh, no, it's fine," Finn shrugged and patted the cushion beside him. "Feels pretty comfortable, so I don't mind it."

"Okay."

They went on then, all getting ready for bed and getting blankets for Finn to use on the couch. He made himself a comfortable looking spot, with several pillows and a fluffy blanket, and Kurt smiled as he watched him plop back on it.

"Night."

"Night, bro. Sleep tight and all that."

Kurt let out a small chuckle, shaking his head as he headed back towards the bedroom. Blaine was already changed into his pajamas and in the bed, clearly ready to get some sleep, and he quickly followed suit to join him.

The curly haired man smiled sleepily when he curled into his side. "Mmm.. Let's get some rest before Ava wakes up, yeah?"

"Yeah…" Kurt said in agreement as he snuggled in. It took no time for the both of them to doze off, but it was short lived when the sound of a cry over the baby monitor startled both of them awake. Blaine immediately sat up to take care of it; however, Kurt stopped him by laying a gentle hand on his arm. "I got it this time," he smiled softly, "You put her to bed, so I'll get up with her first."

"Mmf… mkay." Blaine didn't need to be told twice. He was curling back into the blankets the instant he could.

Sighing softly, Kurt headed to the nursery, ready to settle his little girl.

/~/

The first two times Ava woke up, it didn't take long for her to go back to sleep. A simple rocking settled her and she was able to be put back in the crib.

However, after that, it was not nearly as easy to soothe the infant. At about one in the morning she needed to be fed; at one thirty she was finished with her bottle but still awake; by two thirty she was asleep, but woke up the instant Blaine walked out of the nursery. It took him about half an hour to settle her again, and by the time he went back to his bedroom, he felt absolutely exhausted.

"Having a sick kid sucks," he mumbled as he curled up beside Kurt, who merely grunted in response. It was clear that the both of them were hoping for their little girl to stay asleep for the rest of the night.

She didn't.

At about a quarter til four, Kurt awoke to the sounds of Ava whimpering over the baby monitor. He let out a small groan and sat up, since it was his turn to check on her, but paused when he heard something.

"Shhh… it's okay. You're okay. No need to cry now; I've got you."

'Wait…' Kurt's sleep-muddled brain took a few moment to catch up. 'Is that Finn?' He leaned closer to the baby monitor and listened intently, discovering that, yes, that _was_ his brother in the nursery, apparently trying to calm the baby. This immediately spiked his curiosity and he quietly got out of bed, practically tip-toeing to his daughter's room.

Carefully, he peeked inside.

Finn was sitting in the rocking chair with Ava, softly cooing to her and patting her back in attempt to get her back to sleep. The little girl was fairly quiet, save for the occasional whimper, and the sight definitely surprised Kurt. It wasn't like Ava was used to anyone besides her fathers and he was shocked that she wasn't crying for one of them, especially since it was the middle of the night.

Not to mention, it was really, really cute.

"Hey…" he whispered and stepped into the nursery.

Finn glanced up in surprise before smiling when he saw Kurt. "Hey," he whispered back. "She's almost asleep now."

"Yeah?"

"Yeah. I heard her crying and thought I could help. I know you and Blaine have been up a lot tonight, so…" he shrugged his shoulders.

Kurt smiled. "Well, thank you. I appreciate it, and… well, it looks like she likes you."

"You think so?"

"Mhm."

"Well, good," Finn smiled widely as he looked over at Kurt. He then glanced down at Ava, still smiling as he whispered, "I like her, too."

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><p><strong>Aww, isn't that precious? :)<strong>

**What first would you guys like to see next?**


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